Whilst I agree that the UK government and the media could've done a better job, there is one thing that differs in the UK compared to a lot of other countries - the population. There are so many idiots in this country who don't take this seriously. I've had massive rows with family members over this. You only have to look at the recent news stories about the amount of house parties the police have been shutting down in Manchester alone. I believe Scotland has issued over 500 fines regarding house parties so far too.

 

The people in countries like Germany are more likely to take this more seriously, as well as follow measures to prevent the spread. Whereas this country is full of people who don't take notice of the warnings and there are quite a few people in this country who think of the virus as a conspiracy. It's honesty sickening to see people being selfish and disregarding what's going on.

That is where the identity of the people at the top of government are part of the problem. A large number of people think of Johnson as a big fat liar. Thankfully, they are often the sort of people who follow the news closely. Therefore, they had enough information to reach their own conclusions over how seriously to take this.

 

Then there are the people who don't follow the news as much. A lot of them think of Johnson as a clown and that's why so many of them like him. However, they don't take him particularly seriously. They may also have got the message delivered relentlessly by the likes of Johnson and Gove that we shouldn't take too much notice of experts.

 

The government added to this by sowing confusion. They told people not to go to the pub but refused to order them to be closed. They started advising people about things like social distancing but didn't make it clear when it went from advice to an instruction. They didn't make it sufficiently clear why we should all avoid getting it, even those of us not in a vulnerable group. They should have been helped in getting that last message across by the press but that didn't happen. Of course, it didn't help that they changed their strategy and then denied doing so.

 

I've read lots of comments from people who have seen the UK government press conferences and similar events in other countries. They all say that the other versions are much clearer, led by scientists and free of any political spin. The intention is to get across vital information, not to try and make ministers look good.

Indeed it was at this time the ROI closed schools and schools in the north were left open creating a ridiculous 2 tier structure in the island. People actually began to take things into their own hands.

 

Thankfully its not too bad in NI compared to the rest of the UK although we have sadly had our worst day today with 15 deaths but yes we and the rest of the UK should have locked down a week earlier.

Another thing that gets me with some people, husband, wife, and their two kids want to go in the shop together. As one of them is doing shopping for a neighbour, while other people are waiting outside to get in. They let all 4 into the shop, when only one member per family are allowed in. And they won't let anyone else in, until 4 people leave the shop, just because they let 4 members of the same family inside, after a customer had a blew with the manager over it. The decent thing to do, if someone was doing shopping for a neighbour give the money to their partner, or get back to the end of the queue and await their turn. Some people are just ignorant and playing dumb as they didn't know the rules when its been on TV/newspapers/social media 24/7 for the past 3 weeks, how can you miss it.

 

Sorry rant over :lol:

The people in power must take the brunt of the blame. they had the info, they failed to follow their own advice re their own safety, they put the economy ahead of common sense and decency, they failed to produce short information films for all TV to broadcast, and the PM's own father was bragging about going down the bleeding pub as it was an infringement of his rights or some other shite even as his own emotionally-challenged son was doing a complete about face on what he'd been saying the weeks before. Now he's all "oh no-one is immune to this disease, no-one is safe" when the pair of them were ignoring that very message.

 

My own response offline to family and friends was much more volatile than I have been online. Some people who loved the Brexit message are now very much of the "serves the self-serving *%$£ right" view right now. The USA is the same for anyone with any brains. No-one can listen to Trumps' incoherent ramblings and self-contradicting without realising that he is personally responsible for huge numbers of people dying. He has failed every single test expected of a President in every way, and still is only concerned about how everything impacts himself and his equally self-serving and corrupt family. He is utterly incapable of showing remorse unless someone has written it for him, because he has clearly psychopathic tendencies.

 

Most people forget early faux pas' in a new government by the time of elections. When you've had people die that you know you won't forget if you think they handled it badly. Some fans will remember even if some will support them no matter what. I once jokingly quipped to my Tory-loving long-termer that the Tories could kill half the people in the country and he'd still vote for them. Today, I had to chastise him on the phone to stop trying to defend Dominic Cummings behaviour as if he's just a poor victim of the horrid press (NB The Sunday Times is a Murdoch Tory-loving newspaper, not a loonie-leftie propaganda-pushing horrid press). Cos if there's one thing that really bugs me it's choosing to distort reality to fit one's own biased or cult-pushing world-view. Facts are stubborn things, they tend not to go away even if you hate them.

The people in power must take the brunt of the blame. they had the info, they failed to follow their own advice re their own safety, they put the economy ahead of common sense and decency, they failed to produce short information films for all TV to broadcast, and the PM's own father was bragging about going down the bleeding pub as it was an infringement of his rights or some other shite even as his own emotionally-challenged son was doing a complete about face on what he'd been saying the weeks before. Now he's all "oh no-one is immune to this disease, no-one is safe" when the pair of them were ignoring that very message.

That would be the father who skedaddled off to his second home in defiance of the regulations.

Priti Patel has told us that 300,034,974,000 people have been tested in the UK for coronavirus excluding Northern Ireland.

 

I haven’t been tested so where did these extra 93 billion people come from?

Edited April 12, 20205 yr by Leanne 🧘🏻‍♀️

Priti Patel is useless, she hates experts telling her why things can't be done her way. How unsurprising she has no answers as to why medical staff still have no PPE when only a few weeks back Boris Johnson was telling us that sadly a lot of us were going to lose loved ones as we dealt with the herd immunity getting to 60%. Assuming they knew the NHS pressures coming from adopting this strategy then why were they not pre-ordering everything that would be needed for massive numbers of people dying?

 

Oh hang on, they hadnt a f***ing clue, did f*** all, still can't do enough to keep medical staff safe, still can't provide medical equipment theyve bunged millions away on Dyson to provide, and keep having press conferences where they are so out of their depth they are shitting bricks at how incompetent they look, how vague platitudes don't save lives, and trying to self-congratulate themselves for taking the necessary action that they should have taken in the first place when any blithering idiot could see what was coming. The economy is going to be more f***ed-up because they hadn't a clue than it would if they'd put their-own arrogant self-belief propaganda on one side and acted responsibly. Making excuses like "other countries were just as shit as us" doesn't work when it's your job not to be killing 10,000 citizens out of sheer arrogant "i know what's best for you" stupidity.

 

That's what you get when put complete twats in charge and they put other twats in places where they can do the most damage.

 

It's a good thing I'm biting my lip and not saying what I REALLY think!

Priti Patel is useless, she hates experts telling her why things can't be done her way. How unsurprising she has no answers as to why medical staff still have no PPE when only a few weeks back Boris Johnson was telling us that sadly a lot of us were going to lose loved ones as we dealt with the herd immunity getting to 60%. Assuming they knew the NHS pressures coming from adopting this strategy then why were they not pre-ordering everything that would be needed for massive numbers of people dying?

 

Oh hang on, they hadnt a f***ing clue, did f*** all, still can't do enough to keep medical staff safe, still can't provide medical equipment theyve bunged millions away on Dyson to provide, and keep having press conferences where they are so out of their depth they are shitting bricks at how incompetent they look, how vague platitudes don't save lives, and trying to self-congratulate themselves for taking the necessary action that they should have taken in the first place when any blithering idiot could see what was coming. The economy is going to be more f***ed-up because they hadn't a clue than it would if they'd put their-own arrogant self-belief propaganda on one side and acted responsibly. Making excuses like "other countries were just as shit as us" doesn't work when it's your job not to be killing 10,000 citizens out of sheer arrogant "i know what's best for you" stupidity.

 

That's what you get when put complete twats in charge and they put other twats in places where they can do the most damage.

 

It's a good thing I'm biting my lip and not saying what I REALLY think!

 

If you want some good news I'd suspect that Priti Patel will probably lose her job when all this is over. I hated her before this, she was wheeled away out of the spotlight, but honestly I don't think there is a more unionising figure of dislike between the nation than her smug face!!

Note that Pritti Hopeless didn't apologise for the lack of PPE. She apologised for the fact that some people might think there was a shortage.

Priti Patel has told us that 300,034,974,000 people have been tested in the UK for coronavirus excluding Northern Ireland.

 

I haven’t been tested so where did these extra 93 million people come from?

That awkward moment when there's no Common Sense to tell us "it was a mistake she's just a human!!1".

 

Good GOD this woman is as incompetent as one can be. Too bad this will be swept under the rug and no one already remembers the counter terrorism thing.

She made a mistake & she's a Tory so she should be given 98 more chances before we judge her at all.

 

If she was Labour ofc we should throw her down the well now.

@1249168800597053446

 

Great thread that compares the UK and Ireland's responses, where they started from a pretty similar point and scale aside should be facing similar issues and obstacles. It really highlights how bad the UK has been at this (though if any Irish posters wish to correct that go ahead).

She just gets more and more disgusting by the day, she's always been so cold and smug so even amongst the totally incompetent current government, they could not pick a worse person to speak about the current situation.

 

Imagine this being Diane Abbott and the slaughtering she'd get!

Patel, Hancock, Johnson, if there were any justice the whole lot of them would never see any responsibility again. Their poor responses are responsible for deaths that could have been prevented.

I tend to assume Ireland handles most things better by virtue of having politicians who actually do their jobs & take their jobs seriously instead of spending 90% of time posturing & preening for the media and their existing voters and trying to then cram everything they actually need to do in the other 10% - and naturally dropping things & missing things.

 

The UK has the absolute wrong kind of people in charge. The fact that your MPs started getting it and kept coming into work - where they all sit together on BENCHES, not even chairs, in a small and sealed room - is just jawdroppingly negligent & tempting fate.

So today I heard a relative of mine has succumbed to the virus. My mum’s cousin died on Friday. I didn’t know her, I’m not sure if we even met but my Nan has been very upset because my Nan was her godmother and it was also my Nan’s 83rd birthday on Friday so it really wasn’t the best Birthday for her despite the press insisting what an amazing Good Friday it was because Boris was getting better.

 

Well my Mum’s cousin had been on a ventilator but had been out of hospital for a few days seemingly recovered before she passed away. So Boris has better be careful because though he’s left hospital, he’s far from out of the woods.

So today I heard a relative of mine has succumbed to the virus. My mum’s cousin died on Friday. I didn’t know her, I’m not sure if we even met but my Nan has been very upset because my Nan was her godmother and it was also my Nan’s 83rd birthday on Friday so it really wasn’t the best Birthday for her despite the press insisting what an amazing Good Friday it was because Boris was getting better.

 

Well my Mum’s cousin had been on a ventilator but had been out of hospital for a few days seemingly recovered before she passed away. So Boris has better be careful because though he’s left hospital, he’s far from out of the woods.

 

So sorry to hear that I hope your nan is OK.

 

That's good advice generally, though. Getting over being very ill isn't a quick fix, not physically and not mentally, and the ventilator can cause problems in itself.

Some schools in Denmark ar due to reopen on Wednesday. If all goes well, that should provide some guide to how we might start to come out of this.

 

Denmark started its lockdown policy 11 days before the UK. I will say with confidence that UK schools will not start to reopen 11 days after those in Denmark.

Not a massive Boris fan at all, but have to admit that Twitter video he put up is the nost heartfelt I've ever seen him in my life. I can't remember whether it was this forum or another one, but someone said that despite the government being about as right-wing as possible they would end up being the most social in generations. And I actually think that will be true now, can see a whole shift in idelogy around healthcare at least. If they don't start offering grants/free studies etc. after all this is over then they are missing out on a huge trick...

 

Looks like the biggest industry hit will be travel as well. Infections in China are growing and that's through the backdoor entry via China. I know loads of people still hold hope about going on holiday later in the year, but I just don't see a way how it is possible until there is a vaccine.

Not a massive Boris fan at all, but have to admit that Twitter video he put up is the nost heartfelt I've ever seen him in my life. I can't remember whether it was this forum or another one, but someone said that despite the government being about as right-wing as possible they would end up being the most social in generations. And I actually think that will be true now, can see a whole shift in idelogy around healthcare at least. If they don't start offering grants/free studies etc. after all this is over then they are missing out on a huge trick...

 

Looks like the biggest industry hit will be travel as well. Infections in China are growing and that's through the backdoor entry via China. I know loads of people still hold hope about going on holiday later in the year, but I just don't see a way how it is possible until there is a vaccine.

 

I think this Tory government already was moving to the left economically before this crisis following the election victory in red wall seats. In this respect at least the financial crisis and Corbyns leadership have moved the debate leftward in the last decade.

Edited April 13, 20205 yr by Steve201